


Marked

by pastelry



Category: Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (Cartoon), No Fandom
Genre: Adventure, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Mutual Pining, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Pining, Post-Apocalypse, Relationship(s), Romance, Romantic Comedy, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:47:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23331892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pastelry/pseuds/pastelry
Summary: In 2020, there was the third world war. The nuclear bombs that were launched destroyed everything. The only life that remained were the humans and mammals, who were concealed in bunkers before the attack. Sadly, not everyone managed to escape. Those who didn't die were given animal-like features due to the radiation. These people were classified as mutes. When these people had children, although tested negative for any form of radiation, the children still kept the animal like features of their parents.The story begins in 2410, with two teenagers named Cedric and Arinya. The first half mute, and the second a human.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. Lore

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story inspired by Kipo and The Age of Wonderbeasts! However, this story is completely original and won't feature any of the characters. I've been working on this story for a while now, and I hope you enjoy it :)

In 2020, there was the 3rd world war. The nuclear bombs that were launched destroyed everything. The only life that remained were the humans and mammals, who were concealed in bunkers before the attack. Sadly, not everyone managed to escape. Those who didn't die were given animal-like features due to the radiation. These people were classified as mutes. When these people had children, although tested negative for any form of radiation, the children still kept the animal like features of their parents. Somehow, whatever factor played into them growing those abnormalities, carried on into their DNA.  
In 2200, civilization became normal again. However, the mutes and part-mutes of society were still looked down upon despite being 1/4 of the world's population.  
In 2230, after seeing some animalistic traits in young mute patients, a facility was created where from the ages of 4-11, mute children would live there and be trained in how to act civilized. They were given permanent yet faint Marks on their cheeks and under their eyes, along with a necklace, as a sign of being fully "trained" to future employers.  
The story begins in 2410, with two teenagers named Cedric and Arinya. The first half mute, and the second a human.


	2. Kramer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cedric and Arin had been best friends since middle school. Being next door neighbors, they already practically lived together. It was only natural that once Cedric's dad had to move out of the country for work, he decided to move in with Arin.

6:00AM

His clock stood waiting on his bedside table.

Blink

7:00AM

Growing impatient, the alarm went off.  
Still dozed away, another blink. 

8:00AM  
...

8:00AM  
........

8  
:  
0  
0  
A  
m  
.  
.  
.  
"SHIT-", A young girl in the kitchen heard from her roommates bedroom.  
"ARINYAAAAAA WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP?", The boy yelled as he rushed to to throw on the first clothes he could find.

"Sigh... Look at the calendar, Cedric.", She groaned.

Saturday, May 5, 2410

"Ah... Ehehe...", Cedric scratched at the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"How is it only on our days off that you suddenly care so much about getting to school on time?", Arin lectured as she turned the stove off.

"Oh come on, give me a break! Atleast I still passed science last year...", Cedric teased as he casually walked into the kitchen.

"Why!- You!- Come on!", Arin started, "It was that teacher's fault anyways...She just didn't like me cause I'm friends with Ms. Eibhlin.". 

"Aaand because you got into a fight with her in class after she complained about her teaching style.", Cedric added. 

Arin sighed. "Ms. Eibhlin is a great role model. I was only defending her, alright? Anyways, let's have breakfast already. I'm starving.", she lifted the lid on the pan to reveal two delicious cheese and bacon omelets.

"Oooo... Thank you Arin! You're the best!", Cedric exclaimed, completely forgetting the previous argument while grabbing himself a serving. 

Cedric and Arin had been best friends since middle school. Being next door neighbors, they already practically lived together. It was only natural that once Cedric's dad had to move out of the country for work, he decided to move in with Arin. Here, during this quiet Saturday morning, they sat at the kitchen table and ate a delicious breakfast cooked by Arin. After 6 years of her mother leaving her home alone in the mornings to work her shift, she managed to pick up a few things on making her own food. 

"Oh, Arin? I just remembered", Cedric started after digging into his food for a bit.

"Hm?", Arin looked up to see a smirking face looking back at her, "Sigh... what now?", She let out a smile at his comedic expression. 

"Well... I heard there's a new girl coming to our school on Monday! According to those guys from Kramer in our class, she's gorgeous.", Cedric's bright pink eyes began to dilate as he ranted.

"Wait- she's from Kramer?", Arin interrupted. Kramer was the biggest city in their province, all the celebrities and incredibly rich lived there. However, with the recent trend in kids moving out at highschool, it's only natural that they'd move to a city with cheaper housing. 

"Mmhmm. And she had quite the reputation back when they knew her. They say she's got a bit of an attitude, but that's probably nothing to be worried about.", Cedric continued.

Although she never knew this girl, some part of Arin became intrigued. Reputation? What kind? She bet that with the way Cedric described her, that girl must've had great luck with boys. "Were you able to get her Vici or anything?", she asked.

"Well, well, well, already interested I see?", Cedric teased.

Arin blushed "I- well- geez, you can't blame me for being curious.".

"That's what you said in the 6th grade, too, and we all know how you turned out..." Cedric pressed.

Arin groaned, "Okay, okay! Yeah yeah we all know I was a bit more than curious. Just- show me her profile if you have it- stupid.".

Cedric giggled and pulled up her account on his phone. It was surpisingly left private, but she had a profile picture.

Upon closer look, the girl had darker, tannish skin. Her hair was curly, and dyed dark red, the top part of it was braided into dreads from her hairline. She had many piercings: one on the side of her nose, many on the sides of her ears, snakebites on her lips, and two on one of her slit eyebrows. She wore bold red lipstick and eyeshadow, and had piercing purple eyes. "Wow... you weren't kidding, huh? She really is beyond gorgeous...".

Cedric chuckled, "Told ya! GASP. Want me to introduce you to her?".

"I can introduce myself, thanks. I don't need you embarrassing me again..." Arin shook her head at the thought. Last time Cedric tried being her "wingman", he ended up sharing a -bit- too much about her middle school days. As Cedric left to his room after shooting her a wink, she rolled her eyes and turned to the microwave to check the time.

11:00AM

4 more hours until her mom got back from work.  
Sighing, she took out her phone and typed in the girl's username.

"ChiChiVelvet" 

She smiled at the silly name choice.  
Tapping on the account, she decided to send a follow request.  
"This shouldn't take long...", she thought.

A few minutes go by...  
"Uhh... Wait- isn't it weird to send a follow request to someone you don't know? I mean, she's from a completely different city, and she probably doesn't even know I'm going to the same school as her! Man, she'd probably think I'm a creep or something... I'll just cancel my request.".

A few more minutes went by...  
"Dangit, what am I saying? Random people request to follow me all the time, and I never think they're a creep! I'm just being paranoid, I'll send my follow request again.".

Even more minutes go by...  
"Ehhh, but what if she's different? I can't speak for everyone! Don't be such an idiot, Arin! Cancel, quickly!".

11:30

"Oh geez, but what if?"

12:00

"Okay, maybe not..."

1:00

"Don't be such an idiot!"

2:00

"Wait- no-"

3:00

"Ugh... Why am I such an idiot!"

"I know, right?", Said an amused Cedric. 

Arin was a complete reck over this. Splayed out on the couch, face buried into a pillow, and a phone in her left hand.  
"Eh- umm- how long have you been standing there?", Arin blushed and quickly sat up, brushing down her shirt. 

Cedric snickered "A while, figured I might as well check on you with all that noise you were making. Is this really your big dilemma? It's just a follow request, nothing big.".

"Sigh, you're not wrong... still though, I think I'll wait until I meet her in person." Arin whimpered as she curled into herself. She was never one to rush into things, and she'd hate to make this girl think she's a creep before she even meets her.

"Fine fine, but don't come crying to me when she's already started dating someone in the time that takes you..." Cedric dramatically shrugged as he walked over to the opposite side of the couch.

Before Arin could retort, an all too familiar voice was heard from the doorway.  
"Hey mom!", greeted a now-cheerful Arin.

"Hey Arinya, Cedric, Phew, so glad to be back. You have no IDEA how busy the factory was today.", her mother sighed.

Arin's mother was the hardest working woman she knew. Ever since her father left, her mother was the one who had to stand up and start working to keep the two of them fed and healthy. Especially after Cedric was added to the mix. She was strong, compassionate, all the traits that Arin wanted to have when she grew up.

"Hey Ms. Amalia." Cedric gave an innocent smile from the couch. She smiled back as Arinya rolled her eyes.

Ms. Amalia walked over to the table and placed her bag and keys down. "Any leftovers?".

"Sorry mom, only a bit. I couldn't make any extras this morning, we- crap, right, we ran out of eggs.", Arinya slowed as she spoke, realising this would mean having to go out for a bit. She was perfectly content with just staying at home cooped up with Cedric for the weekend. 

"Oh, already?" Ms. Amalia sighed, "Would you mind heading out to the store for a bit to get some?". 

Arin internally groaned. Although she expected it, some part of her wished her mother would let it slide for a bit. It's just eggs! What else would they need eggs for, anyways? "No, no, of course. I'll go get some" she dragged on. She looked in the mirror by her door. Her light brown hair was being held up in a messy excuse for a bun on her head, the light pink ombre looking dull and grey in this light. And as for her clothes, they could easily be mistaken for pajamas. Sweatpants, a black tank top and a flannel don't exactly scream "well dressed". Of course she would have to go out looking like this, she thought. 

"Hey, wait up!", Cedric called out enthusiastically as he threw on his shoes, "I don't mind going for a walk too!" he smiled.

Arin sighed in relief and let out a little smile. It was times like this she wondered how they managed to become friends. One optimistic extrovert, and another pessimistic introvert. Of course she was probably lucky to have him around. After all, early and reluctant Saturday morning walks are a lot more fun with someone to talk to. Arin moved her attention to her shoes and quickly tied them. 

Grabbing her purse and a sweater, she and Cedric left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Vici is basically the 2410 version of instagram btw)  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm currently working on the 2nd one, so I'd really appreciate it if you stuck around for the next one :). I'm not the best writer, but this is something I've been working on for a while and I'm really proud of. I hope you'll love it as much as I do.


	3. Stuffed Bunnies and Strangers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected meeting at the variety store.

Chimera was never the type to gain interest in someone over the internet. However, something about the fact that this person felt the need to send 24 follow requests seemed odd. If it were some creepy and persistent old guy this would be easier to explain, but the username simply read 

_Arinya_Amalia_♡

The profile picture displayed a girl around her age or younger with light brown to a lighter pink hair. With the high ponytail she wore, it was clear to see that she had both sides of her head shaved. The girl's eyes were a vibrant green, and she wore a soft pinkish red smile. To decorate this smile, her upper cheeks and nose were sprinkled in freckles.

She certainly didn't look like a stalker, that's for sure. If she were, though, Chimera wouldn't be opposed to that. Shaking her head and placing a palm on her forehead, Chimera sighed. This was no time to start fantasizing. She just moved into this strange new city and hadn't even unpacked her bags yet.  
Looking over to see the messy pile of her luggage, however, only filled her with grief. Maybe she should take some time to herself before unpacking? 

Deciding on a walk around the neighborhood, she threw on her black boots and leather jacket, grabbed her headphones, and left. 

The streets here were quiet, almost eerie. Chimera had spent the majority of her life out on the streets and in crowded buildings, so she wasn't at all used to this amount of silence. Something about it calmed her, however. It made her feel free from all the chaos of her previous life. She was independent now, and the environment she lived in was her choice. Nothing could stop her from just enjoying a nice peaceful walk around the block, music blaring through her headphones.

Grumble

Correction- one thing could stop her from enjoying a nice peaceful walk around the block. The fact that even mutes need to eat. Sighing, she pulled out her phone and checked Siri Maps for the nearest convenience store. Thankfully, there was one just a couple blocks over. Checking her wallet, she headed off to the store.

\---

"Cedric, we are not getting the stuffed bunny.".

"Awww come on Arin! It's so cute and Fluffy... I'll even let you share it~", Cedric held on to Arin's arm while resting his head on her shoulder. Arin was never the type to give in easily, but she just couldn't say no to him when his cat-like side came out. 

Groaning in defeat, she agreed to let him buy it. "This isn't because I want to share it, got it?", Arin insisted. 

Giggling, Cedric rolled his eyes and went over to the counter as Arin stood behind him with two cartons of eggs.

\---

Looking up at the cheaply-made sign, Chimera could tell that this was the place. Although incredibly small compared to the stores in Kramer, it had a cute and welcoming charm to it that made her smile. Upon opening the door, she found two kids around her age arguing, and one giant bunny in the other's arms.

"Come on, you know you want to~", the boy teased as he pushed the plush bunny towards the girl.

"Ugh, there is no way I'm hugging that thing in public! Come on, Cedric, you're embarrassing me... someone just-", as the girl was ranting, she turned to see Chimera standing in the doorway looking mildly amused. A blush began to cover her face as the boy, apparently named Cedric, turned to see what she was so surprised by.

laughing, he dropped the stuffed rabbit. "No way, she kinda looks like your-", Cedric was interrupted by the girl quickly covering his mouth.

"Don't. Even. THINK. About it!".

"Is... is this a bad time?", Chimera chuckled awkwardly as she began to back away.

"Ah! Nonono wait! I'm so sorry about my friend, he's a little... odd." The girl said as she walked up to her. "We were, um, we were just about to leave, so um... I'm Arinya by the way! Most people just call me Arin though. I- um..." 

"Arinya?", Chimera stopped her as she rambled. Arinya... why was there something so familiar about that name? "Wait- Amalia?", after seeing a confused nod from the smaller one, Chimera began to realize why this girl seemed so flustered at her appearance, and why her bright green eyes looked oddly familiar. She snapped her fingers at the realization. "Ah! You're that stalker girl from Vici!".

\---

The remaining blush on Arinya's face turned 5 shades darker. Her mouth opened to speak but only broken stutters came out. Stalker?! She saw her as a stalker! This was it. Her life was over. The new girl at school already thinks she's a creep. It didn't help that her lack of words made the situation even more uncomfortable. She began looking around for any way to get out of this, her eyes just passing over the girl's head, adorned with dark purple curled horns- wait, horns?

The girl must've noticed her stares, because she let out a little laugh that set Arinya's heart on fire. "What? Never seen a girl with horns before?".

Crap! She thinks you're judging her! She thought. "Ah! No no, that's not it... they're just- they're... beautiful.", Arinya blurted out as she moved her eyes down somewhat to meet the taller one's.

The girl blushed at that and brought up a hand to touch them before looking back into those bright emerald eyes. "Hah, well... you... have beautiful eyes.".

Arinya was at a loss for words at this interaction. Never before had she wished to bow before the gods in thanks for her eyes. Not only did she get to witness this amazing creation in front of her, but she had the blessing of being seen as something worthy to it as well. Before she could even process it, a hand grabbed her shoulder and snapped her back to reality. 

"Hey uh, earth to Arinya? We gotta get going. Your mom's gonna get all paranoid if we're out for too long.".

"A-ah, right. Sorry.", Arinya broke eye contact with the girl before grabbing her bag of egg cartons from the counter and leaving.

\---

Chimera felt a warmth on her cheeks. Something about this odd encounter made her heart skip a beat, which was never a good sign. While others would swoon at the thought of a romantic encounter, it only filled the girl with dread. After all, people are never who they seem to be with first impressions. However, the mysterious aura surrounding that girl, Arinya, who was practically still a stranger to her, made Chimera wonder if she could ever meet her again. Shaking her head, she remembered what she came for as she felt that same grumble in her stomach. Sighing, she headed towards the canned food isle. She was going to forget about that girl in a day or two anyways, so why bother fantasizing? 

\---

After putting the eggs away in the fridge, Arinya slumped over to the couch. She had just met the girl of her dreams and yet she felt so disappointed in herself. Come to think of it, the girl only complimented her eyes to avoid the awkwardness of Arinya's intrusive staring. That was it. To make matters worse, she couldn't even say a word before then! The moment she was accused of being a stalker, her brain just switched off. "Cedric, why the hell am I so incompetent?", she sighed as she slumped onto the couch and across his legs.

"What's gotten into you? Weren't you head over heels for that new girl like 10 minutes ago?", Cedric was surprised at the sudden shift in moods.

"Yeah, well that faded away pretty quickly once I realized how much of a creep I was to her.", Arinya snapped back, more at herself rather than Cedric though.

The boy sighed and pet her head, getting an annoyed groan in response. "Come on, don't be stupid. She didn't mean it when she called you a stalker. She was probably just joking around, you'll be fine. You can even message her, if that helps?". 

Arinya blushed at the thought. "N-no way! Heh... I'll probably just wait until later to approach her directly. I wouldn't want to seem desperate or anything...". Quickly sitting up, she tapped the button on their TV stand and a holographic screen was projected from the top of it. "Let's just watch our show, alright? It's should be coming on around now anyways.", although technically a distraction from her current predicament, she had a point. The two if them had been watching "Space Rangers: Love and War" since it first aired. It had beautiful animation, inspiring characters, and an impressive storyline... for a kids show.  
"Fighting rangers~, let's all get together now!~ Young one you will become the greatest hero!~", the two sang along in unison to the agreeably cheesy intro. 

\---

While in one house there was cheer and laughter, in another there were mostly empty halls and echoes of heels clicking quickly past them. Although those who lived there once wouldn't exactly call it a home. Throughout these halls, walked a middle aged powerhouse. One Gandhari Eiblin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a shorter chapter, but I hope you still enjoy it!


	4. Nova Academy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look at Cedric's childhood, a new character introduced, and an interesting first day!

After Arinya went to bed that night, Cedric sat at his vanity; looking back at his appearance. Dark, dusty pink hair, with a darker pink framing his face. He noticed his skin seemed paler than his usual tan complexion. He drew his attention to his moles, which formed a perfect line along his face. One underneath the right side of his left eye, one next to the left side of his nose, and one underneath the right side of his lip. He appeared to maintain a cool, calm demeanor. Seemingly childish, content, cheerful.  
Tamed.  
Staring at the mark of an x going from underneath his right eye to his cheek, he was reminded of this fact. Being only a half mute meant nothing in this world; if it's in your blood, you're an animal just like the rest. An animal to be tamed.

\---

Nova Academy. The supposed sign of a bright future for mutes. Beginning at the age of 4 and until the age of 11, young mute children were brought here to live and be trained in human manners, customs, and speech. Many teachers there were members of other institutions as well, and took great pride in all their work. The children of this facility were well fed, well kept, and all wore simple uniforms. A white button up shirt, tan pants, and black slip-on shoes. And this night at the institution, two mute children, one 5 years old, the other 6 at the time, sneakily wandered through the white, empty halls.

"Cedric... what if we get in trouble? Come on, we're not really going off bounds, right? Remember last time? Sir got really scary...". The younger child grabbed on tight to their friend's shirt in fear, struggling to keep their voice low. 

Their footsteps echoed as the younger one shivered slightly, eyes carefully scanning the area as they walked closer to the main lobby.

"Oh come on, Deirdre! We're close to the exit anyways, it's a short walk from there. I promised I'd show you the view from that cliff tonight, didn't I? Don't you still wanna see it?", The eldest, Cedric, looked back at Deirdre with a toothy grin, completely fearless.

The younger child had soft, pastel blue hair, with the two pieces of hair framing their face being a significantly darker shade. Their hair itself was about medium length, with two pigtails holding in it place. Deirdre's skin was incredibly pale, making them appear fragile. Their ears were also pointed, similar to self ears. Their eyes, however, were the most interesting part. The sclera was a bright yellow, while the Iris was a light blue. Although most people would be creeped out by eyes like that, Cedric was unbothered. He always had been.

Deirdre looked away and lowered their eyes, clearly unsure about the situation. "Y-you know best...", they let out a small whimper before bringing themselves closer to the boy, arms clinging harder to the sides of his shirt.

Cedric sighed and turned around, facing the smaller one and kneeling down to their level. "Listen, you know what I'll tell him if he finds us? "It was my fault sir! All my fault! I forced poor little Deirdre to come out here! They're the good kid, I'm the stupid, troublemaker one.", he mocked with his hand on his hips.

Deirdre giggled and gave him a little smile. "You're so silly!".

The boy smiled and laughed along, before hearing Deirdre continue. "Really, though, honest, I'll tell sir it was me too! I-I'll get in trouble with you too! I'd feel really bad if he hurt you...".

Cedric's demeanor changed as he frowned for a second, before smiling and shaking his head. "Nah-uh, don't. You're too little, you don't deserve to get yelled at by that jerk.", he reassured the child as he gently grabbed their hands. "You know I'll always stick up for you, right?-".

\---  
"-Forever.". Cedric faced down from his reflection to see the faint carving on his wooden necklace.

D+C  
♡

If there was a glint of sadness in his eye, he surely felt it. Memories like this were always bittersweet to him. His childhood was never perfect, he knew, but he couldn't hate his origins for bringing him to that place. After all, he felt like the luckiest boy in the world to have the friends he did back then. But maybe it was the dimly lit room, or the fact that the moon seemed to shine far less bright that night, that his vision became blocked by tears threatening to spill. Taking a deep breath, he tried to come up with some sort of bright side to all this. Maybe leaving behind that part of himself was for the best; after all, he'd much rather live the life of a human rather than one of an animal. So maybe it was for that best that he had to-

No.  
No, it was not for the best that he left, he knew it couldn't have been. However, there was no way out of it. He had to leave a year earlier, and the two ended up getting sent to different cities. Cedric to Nork, and Deirdre, somewhere else. All he could do now was just hope that Deirdre managed to protect themselves, grew up, and became a much stronger person on their own.

For now, there was nothing he could do.  
Inhale  
Exhale  
Just breathe.  
Sighing and rising from his desk, he went to his bed and fell into it. Staring back up at the ceiling. There was no use worrying about things the past, he thought. Wherever Deirdre was now, they probably made a lot of friends at their new school. They might not even remember that happy go lucky kid from all those years ago. Whatever the case may be, Cedric concluded that he was probably overthinking things. Deirdre was much more grown up now, and didn't need protecting.  
Finally steadying his breath, he slowly fell asleep.

\---

Stopping at a door, that certain Gandhari Eiblin opened it and walked inside, hands properly placed behind her back, posture straight, and an anger to her steps to contrast.  
The layout of the room was small. Brown walls, partially covered by the wall of tan cabinets on each side. A wooden desk stood at the back, with only some papers, and an office chair behind it. Moving behind it, the woman let out a sigh and sat down.  
"Insolent child.", She muttered behind her breath. "Of all the hours of the night that boy just had to start a fuss now! I'll be sure to tell his counsellor about this.". Collecting herself, Gandhari moved her attention to the two papers laying by the corner of her desk gathering them, she was met with two short profiles. 

Maya Petrovski  
Age 4  
Whole

Flock Eisten  
Age 4  
1 Quarter

Scanning through their attached medical records, she silently nodded her head and stamped both of the papers one by one with bright green ink.

\---

The weekend flew by just the way the two wanted. Lounging around the house, catching reruns of their favourite shows, cooking dinner together, all great ways to spend a lazy Sunday. But of course the weekend had to come to an end, and a fresh new school week began. Although completely normal for Cedric and Arinya, the day proved to be much different for a certain "new student".

Trying to keep her cool, Chimera's eyes searched desperately for someone who might be wearing merch of one of her favourite bands or shows, anything that could help start a conversation. Starting life in new school is one thing, but a new city? The thought began to create a pit in her stomach. However, in all her searching, she came across a familiar voice instead.

"G'Morning Ms. Eiblin!", cheered the girl.

Snapping over to see the source, Chimera internally skipped. Arinya, the awkward encounter from the store, happened to go to the same school as her. This was perfect! What were the chances she'd find someone she knew here?

"Oh! Stalker girl!", Chimera enthusiastically greeted as she ran over to Arinya.

\---

A blush crept to Arin's cheeks as she heard that nickname again. "Ah! Eh- u-um hi...", she quickly blurted out, looking to Cedric for some way to hide from the situation entirely. 

"Oh hey, it's your friend from the other day too!", The girl smiled as she put out her hand. "Sorry for not introducing myself by the way, I'm Chimera!".

"Oh, you again! So happy to finally out a name to a face!", Cedric cheerfully grinned before looking over to his friend and giving a quick wink. 

The blush remained as Arinya gave him a glare before turning to look at the girl- no, Chimera. "S-sorry if I acted kinda... weird the other day... I didn't mean to make you believe I was a stalker or anything...", she shrunk in on herself, clearly embarrassed about the whole ordeal.

"No no, it's okay! I don't actually think you're a stalker or anything, it's just a nickname I've given you now I guess...", Chimera laughed before stopping to think. "Is there anything you'd like me to call you?". 

"J-just Arin, Arinya, either is fine!", the flustered girl replied with a relieved smile. Maybe she didn't leave such a bad first impression after all, she hoped.

And just then the bell rang for first period, and all the students went on their way to their homerooms. Cedric, Arinya, and Chimera, all happening to end up at the same room.

\---

"No way! We have first period together too? That's a relief!", Chimera smiled and walked in, greeting the teacher and introducing herself. Maybe being the new girl wouldn't be as scary as she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! This chapter took a little longer to make but I like how it turned out :)


	5. Update (NOT a chapter, sorry)

I'm sorry this isn't a chapter, but I just wanted to update you guys on some stuff. I am SO sorry it's been taking me so long to update this. I know this story isn't very popular and only has less than 100 hits, but the fact that people read this at all makes me really happy. So, I just wanted to let the few of you know that I'm still working on getting the next chapter out :) online classes have been pretty stressful lately and to add to that I've also been fighting off a sinus infection for the past few days. I hope you all are staying safe and healthy during this time!

Question (please answer in the comments): Would you guys like it if I made a chapter with just character bios? I try my best to describe their appearances in the story but if you'd like a reference to better visualize them just let me know! :)


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